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Birgitte Silverbow
}} Birgitte Silverbow is a legendary heroine and archer, and one of the Heroes of the Horn. Background Birgitte Silverbow is the heroine of many hundreds of gleeman's tales and legends. Like many of the great heroes of the Wheel of Time, she has been "spun out" into the Pattern many times, taking a different name but always following the same pattern: an archer, sometimes a soldier, who is linked to a lump-faced man who fights with two swords (most famously known as Gaidal Cain), whom she at first hates but eventually falls for. She is also one of the Heroes of the Horn of Valere, and, like Artur Hawkwing, Gaidal Cain and a hundred other heroes, can be summoned to fight for he who blows the Horn. During the Age of Legends, she was called Teadra. She foils a plan laid by Moghedien to trap Lews Therin Telamon. She dies before Moghedien can get her revenge. Activities Tel'aran'rhiod When not being woven into the Pattern, or fighting in spectral form, she and all the other heroes of the Wheel reside in Tel'aran'rhiod. She is first glimpsed by Egwene al'Vere while she is hunting for the Black Ajah. Later Birgitte first makes her acquaintance with Perrin Aybara, Elayne Trakand and Nynaeve al'Meara. The latter two were hunting Darkfriends in the World of Dreams, and despite ancient injunctions to the contrary, and the ridicule of Gaidal, she insisted on stepping in to help them. This led, eventually, to a confrontation with Moghedien in which Birgitte was ripped bodily from Tel'aran'rhiod and expelled directly into the waking world, instead of being reborn (re-incarnated) into it normally. When Nynaeve and Elayne found her, she was dying, a condition not even Nynaeve could Heal. With no other recourse, Elayne bonded Birgitte as her Warder, saving her life, and Birgitte has served in this capacity ever since. Maerion It was necessary to conceal Birgitte's identity, as her presence in the world would raise too many questions about Elayne's and Nynaeve's activities prior to joining the Salidar Aes Sedai. Birgitte herself assumed the name Maerion, saying "I was called that once" - indicating this was the name of one of her prior incarnations. She then heads out with Elayne, Nynaeve and Mat to Ebou Dar to find the Bowl of the Winds. Deadly and of unmatched competence with a bow, she is also by far the most raucous of Elayne's entourage; she and Mat Cauthon share a fondness for drink, carousing and foul language, and their friendship is strengthened by Mat's past-life memories and the fact that he is the Hornsounder. After finding the Bowl of the Winds the group of Aes Sedai, Kin and Sea Folk manage to leave Ebou Dar just before the Seanchan appear. Elayne tries to unravel a gateway and Birgitte is forced to hold off invading Seanchan troops with her bow. She is injured with an arrow but still fights on. Her strong confidence in Elayne helps Elayne hold the weave long enough for Birgitte to get her and Aviendha, who was also present, to safety before the gateway explodes. Nynaeve arrives and Heals her. Lan Mandragoran is also present and mistakes her as being from Kandor, a country that would not have existed during any of her lives. .]] Over the course of time of having been expelled from tel'aran'rhiod, Birgitte starts to lose her memory of her previous lifetimes. In her current incarnation, Birgitte is an oddity in several respects: *She is the world's only female Warder - Aes Sedai have never bonded a woman at any time in history. Both she and Elayne have discovered at first hand that the bond of their shared gender increases the empathic link of the Warder bond to sometimes unacceptable levels (when Birgitte gets drunk, Elayne gets tipsy, and likewise when Elayne and Rand spend time alone, Birgitte shares a degree of Elayne's arousal. *She is the first Hero of the Horn to have been expelled from Tel'aran'rhiod: while initially retaining the memories of all her past lives they are starting to blur together and fade as time passes. What this means for Birgitte's future and status as a recurring Hero of the Horn is unclear. *She also does not let herself get bullied around by Elayne like other Warders and they share more of an older sister, younger sister relationship. Gaidal Cain Just before Moghedien expelled her from Tel'aran'rhiod, Birgitte indicated that Gaidal had not been seen in Tel'aran'rhiod for some time, and she speculated that he had left to be naturally reborn into the Pattern. Shortly after, one of Min Farshaw's viewings indicate that Birgitte is linked romantically to a man who is simultaneously ten years older and ten years younger than Birgitte herself. This is almost certainly Gaidal reincarnated, but who he has been reincarnated as is the much more pertinent question. Some fan theories about Gaidal Cain's whereabouts suggest that he may have been ripped from the Tel'aran'rhiod just as Birgitte was and that they continue to remain linked despite Birgitte's current state. Caemlyn After the group finally arrive in Caemlyn, Elayne promotes Birgitte, now called Birgitte Trahelion from Kandor, to Captain-General of the Queen's Guards. However she is very reluctant to take this position. She is now building and training an army for Elayne and even strolls through the Black Tower to make sure they are keeping Andoran law. Since Elayne became pregnant by Rand, Birgitte has become overly protective of her. She escorts Elayne to meet with the Borderland rulers in Braem Wood. Birgitte also goes with Elayne to the house on Full Moon Street, where Elayne is captured by Black Ajah Aes Sedai. Birgitte rides back to the royal palace to muster up a strike force to retrieve her. There she manages to convince Chanelle din Seran White Shark and the rest of the Sea Folk Windfinders that without Elayne there is no bargain. They Travel to the area where the Black Ajah are riding a wagon with Elayne inside. The strike force ride towards the wagon, but is decimated by Balefire from Asne Zeramene. Birgitte finally convinces the Windfinders to actively attack the Black Ajah sisters and manage to take them all prisoner and rescue Elayne in the process. She is with Elayne when the neutral High Seats arrive and pledge their support for Elayne, giving her the required amount of Houses for the Lion Throne. Other incarnations *'Teadra' *'Joana' *'Maerion' Notes Category:Heroes of the Horn Category:Warders Category:Women Category:Queen's Guards